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1. How long has Gold Mercury been in existence? Gold Mercury was founded in 1961 in Rome by an association of journalists and academics that wanted to promote and reward good corporate and government initiatives in Italy in the areas of safety of workers, production and health standards. Soon the scope increased and by 1970 Gold Mercury had become an international organisation developing conferences and forums all over the world, involving world leaders in its governance and sustainability initiatives. The Gold Mercury Awards and forums became global, rewarding international corporations, institutions and organisations for good governance. In 1970 the Gold Mercury Award for Peace was created and granted that year to GIUSEPPE SARAGAT, President of the Italian Republic. Today Gold Mercury International is recognised as one of the most respected think tanks in the world (see for example NIRA's World Directory of Think Tanks). The Gold Mercury Awards are one of the most important international recognitions for great achievements in Global Governance. |
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2. Who nominates candidates and selects winners for the Gold Mercury Awards? The Gold Mercury Award Nomination Committee is comprised of experts and leaders from around the world in all of our award categories. Members of the Nomination Committee are highly distinguished and respected individuals from all sectors of society including: |
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3. Which categories are awards given in? Traditionally, Gold Mercury has awarded achievements in four main areas: Peace, Industry & Commerce, Media, and Humanitarian work. In order to recognise outstanding achievements in today’s most relevant Global Governance challenge areas, Gold Mercury has launched four new award categories bringing the total number of categories to eight. Our award categories are: |
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4. What is the Global Governance Forum? Gold Mercury International organises an annual Global Governance Forum. This event encompasses the Gold Mercury Award ceremony, the award banquet dinner and a conference on Global Governance issues. The purpose of our forum is to create a high-level economic, governance and cultural exchange platform that facilitates the sharing of information and offers a forum for the exchange of views on some of the most important global and regional economic, political and social issues of the day. |
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5. Where is the Global Governance Forum held? The location of the forum changes from year to year. This allows us to bring a global scope to the event. Award ceremonies and forums are usually hosted or supported by local authorities or organisations. |
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6. What does the Gold Mercury Statue represent? The Gold Mercury statue is the symbol of the famous statue of Hermes 'Mercurio', the mythological Greek messenger of the gods and patron of trade, communication and travellers. The emblem was chosen to represent the award in 1960 and it has been used ever since. The Gold Mercury statue was designed in circa 1565 by Jean Boulogne, 'Gianbologna' the Flemish-Italian sculptor and one of the most influential artists of the late 16th-Century Mannerism. He spent two years in Rome (circa 1554-55), where he was strongly influenced by Michelangelo's sculptures. A series of bronze statues of Mercury culminated in the renowned "flying" Mercury (1580, Bargello, Florence) outstanding for the airy elegance of its pose: the nude figure stands poised on the toes of the left foot, with the right arm raised high in a pointing gesture. |
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7. What makes Gold Mercury different from other think tanks and awards? We believe we are a very distinct and unique organisation for the following reasons: A. Our history We are one of the oldest think tanks in existence. Most think tanks and international awards are relatively young. We rapidly approach our 50th anniversary. Our history and the people who have contributed to Gold Mercury’s development are unparalleled for their thinking and contribution to world affairs, business and governance. The Gold Mercury Advisory Board throughout the years has included: We are a true pioneer of ‘Global Governance and sustainable thinking’ in the world. We were rewarding individuals, organisations, and corporations for good environmental initiatives and safety of workers in the 1960s, which shows how far ahead of our time we were. That is why so many global personalities and companies have been a part of Gold Mercury. B. Our founding commitment to peace and cooperation is as valid today as it was then Gold Mercury was founded in times of great uncertainty. Gold Mercury’s initial years witnessed critical world events such as the construction of the Berlin Wall, the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. Our founders set themselves the objective of improving ‘Global Governance’ via fostering, promoting and awarding cooperation and peace among peoples of the world. The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place with civil wars abound in many regions, cultural cleavages are becoming more prominent, terrorism and the continuing proliferation of nuclear weapons. The challenges of the new millennium make the goals of Gold Mercury just as relevant today as they were in the 1960s. C. The international nature of our organisation and the awards Most think tanks and award organisations are what might conventionally be considered "nationally-focused" organisations. Gold Mercury was structured from its inception to become an international organisation. Members of our International Advisory Board and our Award Nomination Committee are from all corners of the world. This makes Gold Mercury one of the most international think tanks in existence. D. The Gold Mercury Awards The Gold Mercury Awards are one of the most important international recognitions for great achievements in Global Governance. Winners are among the most recognised figures and institutions in world affairs, industry and society. |
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8. Who is behind Gold Mercury International today? Our International Advisory Board has included world personalities like Boutros Boutros Ghali - Former UN Secretary General, Soihiro Honda - Founder of Honda Motor Co., Ramon Areces - Founder of El Corte Ingles, as well as many members of the diplomatic world. Eduardo De Santis continues to be Chairman of Gold Mercury and is one of the original founders and financiers of the award and organisation. |
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9. How is Gold Mercury International financed? As a non-profit organisation, Gold Mercury relies mainly on corporate partnerships and corporate contributions to finance its activities and operational costs. |
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10. Where is Gold Mercury International's central office located? The Presidency of the organisation and award was originally located at the Centro Giornalistico Annali in Rome's Via Flaminia. It was relocated to London as an international centre in 1985 and is presently located at the Gold Mercury International Building in London's Mayfair. |
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11. Can my organisation/company become a partner or member of Gold Mercury? For more information on how to become a Corporate Partner of Gold Mercury International, click here. Alternatively write to: Gold Mercury International Gold Mercury Building 13 Chesterfield Street Mayfair London W1J 5JN United Kingdom or via e-mail to: enquiries@goldmercury.org |
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